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The Hollister School District Board of Trustees reaffirmed its decision to prohibit overnight trips for students despite pressure from parents to reconsider.
In the board’s Jan. 23 meeting, parents and students lined up to ask the board to allow the trips. Some accused the board of violating the Brown Act, claiming the board changed its policy without informing the public.
Changes to board policy 6153 prohibiting overnight field trips for students were approved in October 2023. Parents and students, particularly from the Hollister Dual Language Academy (HDLA), had complained about the policy change because it forced their overnight science camp field trip to be canceled.
Following the board’s October decision, parents and students asked the board at multiple board meetings to add the policy again to the agenda so that the community could speak on it.
On Jan. 23, students and parents arrived with posters stating “Please reinstate overnight field trips” and “Please bring back overnight field trips.”
During public comment on the board policy, a mix of 11 parents and students, mostly from HDLA, spoke at the podium.
Julian Gutierrez, a sixth-grade student from HDLA, said students were “heartbroken” over the decision.
“Since kindergarten, we have been fundraising to go to overnight science camp,” Gutierrez said. “And now that we cannot go, all that we want is to bring it back. I don’t want to spend four hours going to science camp and going back to school for three days.”
Parent Nicole Shelton said science camp is one of the few opportunities students have to explore areas in the mountains and woods outside the county.
“As a district I think we should be exposing our students to a variety of experiences outside of our classrooms to make them more well-rounded and knowledgeable, and to ignite their passions for people, cultures, and opportunities,” she said. “There is so much more for them to learn outside of a book or a classroom.”
Shelton and Tatiana Contreras alleged that an incident last year could have led to the no overnight trip policy, but gave no specifics.
“If other schools and other districts, even those really close to us, are able to make this work, why can’t we?” Shelton asked. “With proper protocols, proper training, and leadership, there’s no reason this can’t be a successful event. We’ve done it for over 30 years, so why change it over one incident?”
After public comment, Hollister School District Superintendent Erika Sanchez said that the agenda and policy item was presented as a “goodwill effort and full transparent mode.” She said it was the fourth time the policy was being discussed publicly.
Sanchez laid out a timeline starting in 2017 that showed the previous public discussions by the board on policy 6153 and said she believed there was no merit to the claims that the Brown Act was violated.
After Sanchez’s presentation, Trustees Cathy Toste, Kim O’Conner, Elizabeth Martinez and Jan Grist all reaffirmed their support for the updated policy.
“In any employment there is liability, but we want to safeguard our children as much as we can, Martinez said. “Other districts may do whatever they are doing, but we are accountable for what happens here. Having something happen to one child, is one child too many.”
Other board members agreed with Martinez’s comments, expressing concerns for student safety, socioeconomic opportunities, and possible gun and drug violence.
Grist added, “I struggled with this, but our most important job is to protect the safety of our children. But in my heart, I know I have made the right decision. It is very, very important that we protect the kids.”
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